Mines not Paying Fines a Familiar Story

When the death toll is finally tallied at the mine in Montcoal, W.Va. and the victims family members have grieved, questions will inevitably turn to finding responsibility for the fatalities.

In the case of the Upper Big Branch mine 30 miles south of Charleston, the company which owns it, Massey Energy, has quickly come under scrutiny for a checkered history of violations stemming from not properly ventilating the methane in the mine.

Back in 2007, "60 Minutes" correspondent Bob Simon reported from Harlan County, Ky., where the previous year six miners died in separate incidents. What Simon found was a string of negligence and unpaid fines, similar to the situation with Massey Energy today.

One federal mining safety official told "60 Minutes" that mines continue to operate despite not paying their fines.

Asked how operators get away with not paying their fines, the official told Simon, "Well, there are a few that do. My understanding, from what I've seen about, 15 percent of the debt goes uncollected."

But, as "60 Minutes" found out, the figure is much higher at many mines with fatal accidents. Almost 75 percent of the fines originally imposed on those mines have not been paid. The mines get courts to reduce the fines, and sometimes they just don't pay. Relatively few mines are prosecuted when they don't pay their fines.

As for Massey Energy, it has been previously cited for safety violations and was behind in paying penalties to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), reports CBS News investigative producer Laura Strickler.